SFM characterization of SrBi2Ta2O9 thin films for nanoscale memory applications

Abstract
Scanning force microscopy (SFM) has been used for comparative studies of domain structures in SrBi2Ta2O9 (SBT) thin films grown by sol-gel, Flash MOCVD and pulsed laser deposition (PLD) techniques. Investigation has been focused on establishing microscopic correlation between crystallinity, domain arrangements and switching behavior of the films. It has been shown that the domain contrast of an individual grain and its switchability are strongly dependent on the grain orientation. The remnant polarization value was found to decrease with decrease in the fraction of a-oriented grains which exhibit sharp domain contrast.